Impossible Cups and Balls

Post topics about the business side of magic.
Guest

Impossible Cups and Balls

Postby Guest » January 17th, 2006, 11:37 pm

I have an entire filing cabinet on magic tricks I have invented. My favourite is the Clear Cup Impossible Cups and Balls. This has all the effects of the normal cups and balls except the audience sees the ball penetrate, sees the ball turn into a cherry tomatoe. You can equipp it to almost any routine. I was wondering how to start selling it. Who should I sell it to? How much should I sell it for?

Thanks in advance.

User avatar
mrgoat
Posts: 4242
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Brighton, UK
Contact:

Re: Impossible Cups and Balls

Postby mrgoat » January 18th, 2006, 5:02 am

Originally posted by Johnston:
I have an entire filing cabinet on magic tricks I have invented. My favourite is the Clear Cup Impossible Cups and Balls. This has all the effects of the normal cups and balls except the audience sees the ball penetrate, sees the ball turn into a cherry tomatoe. You can equipp it to almost any routine. I was wondering how to start selling it. Who should I sell it to? How much should I sell it for?

Thanks in advance.
me

for 5 bucks

Jonathan Townsend
Posts: 8704
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Westchester, NY
Contact:

Re: Impossible Cups and Balls

Postby Jonathan Townsend » January 18th, 2006, 5:05 am

Originally posted by Johnston:
...I was wondering how to start selling it. Who should I sell it to? How much should I sell it for?
Ordinarily it helps to have a realized product and manuscript/video. If you want to job the thing out, there are folks like Bob Kohler who are good at bringing items to market. On your own... takes some effort to show the item at a few conventions and get feedback from the market directly.
Mundus vult decipi -per Caleb Carr's story Killing Time

Terry_Holley
Posts: 133
Joined: April 16th, 2008, 9:20 pm
Location: Medina, OH

Re: Impossible Cups and Balls

Postby Terry_Holley » January 18th, 2006, 6:52 am

Sounds a bit like Jason Latimer's routine! Are you familiar with what he is already performing for the public?

Terry

User avatar
David Regal
Posts: 491
Joined: January 22nd, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Burbank, CA
Contact:

Re: Impossible Cups and Balls

Postby David Regal » January 18th, 2006, 10:45 am

Yes, check to make sure you're not re-inventing a method already published or in use. Also check out "The Crystal Cups" from the 1980s.

Crystal Cups

The plot has been around, but if your method is good - and unique - there might be a market for it. As for selling, you have options:

a) Manufacture and sell a prop
b) Manufacture and sell a DVD that explains the workings of the effect
c) Write and print up the directions for the effect, and sell those
d) Sell an e-document that explains the effect

First and foremost, the effect must be good. And know that most people do not make a lot of money selling a magic trick. The general exceptions are wholesalers and large retailers who make small amounts on thousands of products - so the multitude of small amounts add up to a large amount. So even though you may make some "mad money", I recommend that you do it for other reasons, too - such as sharing a good idea.

User avatar
Steve Bryant
Posts: 1947
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Favorite Magician: Ballantine
Location: Bloomington IN
Contact:

Re: Impossible Cups and Balls

Postby Steve Bryant » January 18th, 2006, 6:38 pm

Note also, about 20 years ago, (maybe 30?) Howie Schwarzman marketed a prop crystal cups routine called Translucent Cups. It was invented by Lubor Fiedler and routined by Howie. It was a cups and dice routine rather than cups and balls.

User avatar
Wolfgang
Posts: 137
Joined: November 1st, 2008, 9:05 pm
Location: Henderson, NV

Re: Impossible Cups and Balls

Postby Wolfgang » January 18th, 2006, 7:44 pm

Hey Steve,
I seem to remember that. If I recall correctly it was two translucent drinking cups. Lubor Fiedler just had some really clever stuff out there. I remember when I was in Europe (maybe 15 years ago)we sold a lot of a Fiedler effect where you would put a dollar bill under a wine glass on a tray. Tehn you take a starter pistol and shot towards the bill. The bill disappeared and appeared in a napkin inside the wineglass.
It was a great demo and for a while everybody who saw it wanted it. I bet that would be new to a lot of people today again!

Guest

Re: Impossible Cups and Balls

Postby Guest » January 22nd, 2006, 7:32 pm

Trust me, this is unique and possibly the most amazing thing you wil ever see. It doesn't even look like there is anything suspicious going on. it is so surprising and I am working on a climax finish in which, after the subclimax of the balls levitating in each cup, they very visually disappear! Note also that this is not my only invention. I have a heap which are just as good. To name one would be the "Psychic Ventrilquist" in which the bowl of a spoon starts to bend and works as the magicians ventriliquism doll for an entire show. Works impromptu

Guest

Re: Impossible Cups and Balls

Postby Guest » January 22nd, 2006, 7:44 pm

One more thing. Do I need to patent my idea?

User avatar
Richard Kaufman
Posts: 27053
Joined: July 18th, 2001, 12:00 pm
Favorite Magician: Theodore DeLand
Location: Washington DC
Contact:

Re: Impossible Cups and Balls

Postby Richard Kaufman » January 22nd, 2006, 9:30 pm

Johnston, either you're not listening or you're pulling our legs.
Subscribe today to Genii Magazine

Guest

Re: Impossible Cups and Balls

Postby Guest » January 23rd, 2006, 2:57 am

Originally posted by Richard Kaufman:
Johnston, either you're not listening or you're pulling our legs.
This IS very funny!
When 'I' post a decent, polite and relevant question, following up an earlier post of an 'old' member of this forum, that wasn't answered properly and if so, entirely off topic without any effort to 'really' giving it the decent thoughts asked for, and just talking 'around' the question, without analyzing it, I get accused of being a troll just up to teasing the members of this forum..

Se:
http://geniimagazine.com/forum/cgi-bin/ ... 1;t=002225

In the case here dealing with in this topic, we CLEARLY have a troll with the sole intention to tease the members/readers and still you guys are in doubt?

I just wonder!!!!!

And, that guy has a heap of other inventions too, as this is not his only "invention"????

Come on, get real, you really believe in miracles?
Lets' face it!
"I" am a troll and that guy is perfectly decent and honest!!


There must be something wrong with the judgement of the people reading this forum!

And, re the 'clear cups and ball routine', well, Jason Latimers routine is 'nice', but I would prefer anytime the one done by Phoa Yan Tong way back in the 1960s/1970s as this could be done anywhere, more or less 'impromptu', when a table is available and in a stand-up situation, looked like magic to me, Jason Latimers version is admirable too and great work, but still, back to what the oldtimers did way back often can compete.

So much from a 'troll'.
Let the real trolls get you guys to believe in what they tell you here at this forum. looks like that makes you happy :p

Wonder for how many hours this posting here will last, remember, it comnes from a 'newbie' and almost first time poster, with no insight in magic at all, and as a such can't judge/comment or compete with any of the earlier opinions mentioned by the 1000+ posters and long time members of this forum.

Come on, show me the power the moderator and owner of this board has by deleting this posting, after all it is entirely off topic, shows zero insight in magic and is an insult to any member of this forum and especially to Dustin Stinnet and the owner of this board
:D

I take however the priviledge of making a back-up of the above posting and when it is gone, I'll repost at another board with appropriate comments, not to tease 'this' board, but just to show others how 'forums' work and react and how the fairness re accespting others opinions is, also in case of 'this' forum, which I thought did show more sense and intelligence then other magic related forums..am I getting to get verified my opinion or am I on the wrong track re 'this' forums abitity of judging right or wrong?

We'll se,time will tell!

A salute to magic and those with a real understanding for it. :D

Jonathan Townsend
Posts: 8704
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Westchester, NY
Contact:

Re: Impossible Cups and Balls

Postby Jonathan Townsend » January 23rd, 2006, 6:54 am

The cups and balls is classic magic. A good mechanics for using clear drinking cups would be welcomed.

Folks seem to enjoy watching good magic, so there is likely a market for new useful items.

That said, when can we see this material?
Mundus vult decipi -per Caleb Carr's story Killing Time


Return to “Marketing & Magic Business”